Filled to the brim: The characteristics of over-triage at a level I trauma center

Interfacility transfers are necessary and valuable for the trauma system, but despite regional guidelines, many patients are inappropriately transferred. We evaluated over-triage at our Level I center and identified risk factors for over-triage.Retrospective analysis at our Level I urban trauma center assessed patients transferred from regional facilities during 2017. Over-triage was defined as patients discharged48 h without procedures. Exclusion criteria were leaving against medical advice or no outside records.Overall, 2352 patients met criteria. Nine hundred thirty (39.5%) with complete hospital records were discharged in48 h; 498 (53.5%) received no procedural intervention and 909 (97.7%) were ultimately discharged home.Many patients are inappropriately transferred to tertiary care centers without a definitive need for advanced services. Studies are needed to improve triage criteria without increasing under-triage.